


L’appel du Vide

by Wintermoth



Series: The Adventures of Adrienbug and Chat Mari [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, I AM SO VERY NOT SORRY FOR THIS, IT'S CUTE AF, Powerswap AU, The Adventures of Adrienbug and Chat Mari, Ugh so much for swearing I wasn't gonna write fanfiction for this fandom, Whatever - I'm Miraculous Ladytrash and I don't care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-07 00:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5436080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wintermoth/pseuds/Wintermoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After seven nights of running across the rooftops of Paris, Ladybug could confidently say he was beginning to get the hang of things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Lucky Bug

**Author's Note:**

> All aboard the powerswap AU train aka The Adventures of Adrienbug and Chat Mari. Right now all I foresee is this being a bunch of oneshots, maybe some two shots. We'll see.
> 
> (Inspired by [this](http://wintermoth.tumblr.com/post/134898504727). Special thanks to [KryallaOrchid](http://kryallaorchid.tumblr.com) for badgering me into doing this and basically being awesome and helping me get this off the ground. And thanks to the Miraculous Ladyscrubs for just generally being awesome and excited about this whole thing.)

Adrien was still getting used to the whole superpowers thing.

After all, it's not every day he's approached by a tiny sprite who tells him that he's been chosen to bear the mantle of Ladybug before pressing a magical stone into his hand. A stone that turns into a white ring before his eyes that fits perfectly and just so happens to be a conduit for superpowers.

After the shock from the initial oh-my-god-this-is-actually-real transformation wore off, the tiny sprite, who introduced herself as Tikki, had been very supportive. She'd answered all his questions patiently. What she was, what he had to do, and most importantly: why him? She even gave him some pointers on how his abilities would work. The rest, however, he would have to learn through experience. Fair enough, he reasoned. Besides, he couldn't deny the prospect of learning thrilled him.

After seven nights of running across the rooftops of Paris, he could confidently say he was beginning to get the hang of things.

As Ladybug, he could do flips and tricks his body had never done before. He was strong, strong enough to tip a car lying on its side back upright without too much effort. He could leap farther than he ever had and his baton could help him with the jumps he couldn't quite make. He was faster, more agile. Most importantly: he was _**free**_.

No father to brush him off or empty space where his mother should be; no staff giving him looks of pity, no photographers barking at him. No older models looking down on him with distaste or annoyance, the young rich boy who'd made it in the business only because of daddy. No one telling him what to do, where to go. No one hissing at him to _smile_ and _stand up straight_. Just him, the wind, the night, all of Paris. It was exhilarating.

Adrien decided to break his new powers before this threat Tikki warned him about reared its head. He stopped petty crimes—muggings mostly and one attempted car theft—and he was in an out before anyone had time to process what they were seeing. If he witnessed an accident, he would rush in to provide assistance, before disappearing back into the ether. When he lingered long enough to be seen there were questions, awe-struck gazes, but he never responded to either. This was all still too new. He wasn't sure exactly how the public would view him or who Ladybug should be. All he had to go off of were comics and TV shows, none of which were very helpful in real life scenarios, but all accounts indicated that he had to be extremely careful while introducing himself to the public. He hadn't been labeled a vigilante yet so he thought that was promising.

Eight days after he first transformed was when he truly came into the spotlight. It was also the day the first akuma attacked.

As Adrien, he had been utilizing some precious free time by taking a long walk with no particular destination in mind. Tikki was nestled in the pocket of his jacket and he couldn't help but smile every time he became aware of her comforting weight. Then he'd heard screaming and, at Tikki's suddenly urgent insistence, had ducked out of sight to transform.

What ensued was his first battle (an actual _battle_ , with an actual _super villain,_ and oh my god this was his life) against a young woman called the Piper who could control people by playing her clarinet. It didn't work on him, thankfully, or he'd have been in serious trouble. All by himself, however, against thirty hypnotized civilians and the Piper, he quickly began to realize that this whole superhero thing wasn't going to be easy. He thought if he could just get to Piper, destroying her clarinet would be a cinch, and then he could purify the akuma and fix everything the way Tikki had taught him. But between her and him was her small army of innocent, _breakable_ victims.

 _Can't go around it, can't go under it, can't go_ through _it…_

_Gotta go above it._

With this realization came Tikki's encouraging whispers in his mind, urgent instructions on how to use her magic to give him the upper hand. Next thing he knew, there were wings, actual _wings_ , on his back and he was flying. In flight combat would undoubtedly be an acquired skill but fortunately for him, he didn't need to fight in the air just yet. He flew up and over the heads of her victims and suddenly he was in the perfect position to seize the clarinet from Piper's hands, cutting her off mid-song.

He felt bad for doing it but Tikki had told him the only way to lure out the akuma was to break the object it was hiding in, so he snapped the clarinet in two across his knee. Moments later, a black butterfly emerged from one of the broken pieces and fluttered towards freedom. Dropping the broken instrument and ignoring the piercing cry of the akuma beneath him who knew she'd been defeated, he closed his hands around the corrupted spirit before it could escape. Then he removed one hand, pulling against the taint he could feel within. Darkness seeped out, leaving behind a pure white butterfly. It took to the air once more and this time he sent it off with a friendly wave. The taint he sealed away inside his baton and then, with Tikki whispering in his mind once more, he flew into the air to release the magic from his wings.

In the light that followed, everything the akuma had done was undone. Damage was mended, the victims were freed, and the Piper reverted to a woman no older than twenty who looked around in confusion.

Ladybug had descended then, the magic of his wings fading away. The clock was ticking now. He had minutes left before his transformation would time out. He should use those minutes to get himself as far away from here as possible but he couldn't bring himself to leave the scene just yet. The woman who had been the Piper was on her feet and staring at him in shock and the sight made him remember Tikki's words. These akumas, these villains, were nothing more than ordinary people whose pain had been exploited in the worst way. She was as innocent as the Piper's victims.

So Ladybug crossed the distance separating them, ever mindful of the eyes on him, the phones recording every second, and ducked his head apologetically. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Did I do something?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Ladybug shook his head quickly. "No. It wasn't you, not really."

Her eyes widened, searching his intently. "There was…a man's voice. He…said he could…that I could…"

"It's over now," Ladybug assured her.

The woman looked down at the now whole clarinet that she clutched tightly in her hands. He could now see that three fingers on her right hand seemed to be mangled. There was no way she could play the clarinet like that. The Piper had had no such deformity. Then he understood.

At that moment, however, his miraculous gave a warning beep and one of the five spots on the face winked out of sight.

Wordlessly, he placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment, and offered her the kindest smile he could. Then he backed away, pulled his baton from its holster on his lower back, and used it to propel himself onto the nearest rooftop just before the crowd surged forward.

Maybe he could've done more but people weren't really Adrien's strong suit. He truly didn't know anything he could've said that would've alleviated her pain. And that's exactly what he told Tikki later on when they were alone in his room, away from all eyes and ears.

"Why did you pick _me_?" he asked for the third time since they'd met.

"I've told you: you were worthy," Tikki replied simply and took another bite of the chocolate chip cookie she held in her tiny hands.

Adrien sighed and flopped face-first onto his bed. "What does that even mean?"

Tikki didn't answer. He loved the little kwami already and he appreciated how eager she had been to help him understand everything but it annoyed him that she wouldn't give him a straight answer on this one, crucially important thing.

He sighed once more, lifted his head, and his eyes flicked over to the window he used to sneak out of his room at night. He could go out tonight but he was exhausted and he wanted to keep his head down until he was sure he wasn't going to have the vigilante label slapped on him. He didn't think he would, not after he'd been witnessed saving so many people from the Piper.

The poor Piper.

"She must have been so sad," he murmured. "Her hand didn't—I mean—the injury didn't seem very old. How could someone do that to someone who was hurting?"

"I don't know," Tikki said. "It's not something I can understand either. I never could. But that's what Hawk Moth does, that's what he _always_ does, and that's why you're here."

"I wish I could've helped her."

"You freed her."

"Yeah, but, I feel like I could've helped her more." He propped himself up on his elbows. "I just left her there and she must've still been in pain. Freeing her didn't change whatever upset her in the first place. But what do you even say to something like that?"

Tikki floated over to him, stuffing the last piece of cookie into her mouth, and placed her hands on either side of his nose. "That's why."

He went cross-eyed trying to look at her and she floated back a few inches. "Why what?"

"That's why you're worthy, Adrien."

He blinked a few times as understanding dawned on him and then he felt his cheeks heating up. "Oh."

The number one story on every news outlet in Paris that night (and even a few from other parts of the country) was the battle and the red and black superhero who'd stopped it. Adrien and Tikki watched the reports with interest on his computer, laughing to themselves at the speculations and theories being tossed out.

When they showed pictures of him from different angles taken on many different cell phones, Adrien couldn't help but appreciate how cool he looked in the suit. He hadn't had a chance to really look at himself since he didn't think it wise to linger in the mansion for long as Ladybug. The front of his torso, arms, hands, and the entirety of his legs were black. On the flipside his suit was red with black polka dots, very much like a real ladybug, which ended at his waist where the belt holding his staff was, and the whole ensemble was topped off with a polka dotted mask to hide his identity.

When footage of his battle played, however, he winced. "That was hard, Tikki."

"I know," she sighed and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Didn't you say something about there being others like me?"

Tikki hummed in affirmation. "It's a little complicated, but yes, there are others."

"Is there any way to get ahold of them? I mean, I'm not sure I can do this on my own. There were so many things that could've gone wrong today. I got lucky."

"That tends to happen when you have lucky powers," she pointed out jovially.

"I guess," he grumbled.

Tikki floated around into his line of sight, a rueful smile on her face. "I really am sorry. There should've been another by now. Here. Unfortunately, cats don't always come when they're called." She folded her tiny arms and poor Adrien was left with more questions than Tikki had answers to give.

The following evening, he decided he wanted to practice flying. He'd spent over an hour that day watching videos and reading up on how birds and insects were able to fly. He'd gotten some basic mechanics during his fight but he wanted to make sure he understood the theory behind the skill before he decided to try it out several hundred feet above the ground.

Tikki assured him he'd have plenty of time with his wings and would have plenty of warning in advance so he could land safely as long as he didn't overexert himself and didn't forcefully expel magic into the Cleansing Light. Maybe half an hour or so. He made sure she was full to the brim and he had a bag of fresh snicker doodles in his pocket before transforming.

He chose the rooftop of the school near his house to bring his wings out. He hadn't had a chance to appreciate them the day before and he hadn't dared bring them out in his room. Trust that to be the only time his father paid attention to him this week. The lights of the city glinted off them creating an ethereal effect that seemed almost magical and there was definitely an underlying red hue to them. They were just slightly longer than his arms, paper thin, and while they didn't seem strong enough to bear his weight, he could feel the power thrumming through them.

He had barely finished wondering exactly how to get his wings to move before they fluttered and _wow_ that felt weird. He didn't have the same awareness of them that he had of his natural limbs but he could definitely feel them there and he could tell when they were still and when they weren't. Cool. That'd make things easier.

Ladybug flew off the roof with relative ease and he spent a minute above the school to get his bearings and then he shot off through the sky.

It took him exactly ten seconds to realize how wrong he'd been before. Running across rooftops was great but this— _this_ was freedom. He was flying faster than he'd ever run and he knew he could go even faster. The wind whipped against him and he could feel it stinging his face where he was unprotected by his mask, but his eyes remained unaffected, and he wasn't even going to bother trying to figure out how that worked. Gravity pulled but he resisted. He dipped and dive. Twisted, spun, and flipped. Contorting his body in every which way and figuring out how his wings responded.

He landed on the very top of the Eiffel Tower to catch his breath and turned around slowly, taking in the sight of his city in all its glory. He felt a grin stretch across his face even as his chest heaved. Then he threw back his head and let out a loud whoop that echoed through the open space. (Unbeknownst to him, a tourist below had captured his arrival on camera, as well as his exuberant cry, and the video would be all over social media by morning.)

Ladybug took off again a few minutes later, heading in the opposite direction of home. He really had no destination in mind, he just wanted to fly. And if he happened to spot an emergency somewhere along the way, well, then, he'd be ready.

As it happened, it wasn't an emergency that caught his attention.

In the last week, Ladybug had unofficially claimed the rooftops of Paris as his territory. Sure people went onto the roofs all the time for various things but they didn't run across them. Didn't jump and duck and weave around the obstacles as if it were second nature. Didn't vault across the spaces between rooftops. He didn't know if ladybugs were territorial creatures but he assumed they had to be because he certainly had never been, yet the sight of a dark figure running across _his turf_ like they owned the place made him frown and tear off after them before he even realized what he was doing.

It could be a guy doing parkour, the more logical part of his mind reasoned. He didn't blame them. It was quite the rush. Nothing to get all fussy over.

As he neared, he was able to pick out a few details. The person was small and lithe, probably a girl, and they seemed totally at ease as they navigated the complex obstacle course before them. The figure sped up as they neared the edge of the line of rooftop and threw themselves out into the open air. Ooh, yeah, definitely a girl, and were those cat ears on top of her head? She arced her body, hands extending forward (oh my god she had a _tail_ ) to take the impact when she landed and instead of righting herself, she bounded forward on all fours.

What the hell?

Was this another akuma? Already?!

Didn't that prick have better things to do than abuse people?

Except, the cat girl didn't seem to be doing anything wrong. She wasn't terrorizing anyone, she wasn't breaking anything, she didn't seem upset at all. Actually, and he couldn't be sure because he couldn't see her face, but she looked like she was having the time of her life. There was just a certain flare in her movements that he recognized. He knew right then that these rooftops weren't just his anymore.

" _There should've been another by now. Here. Unfortunately, cats don't always come when they're called."_

"Oh my god," he blurted out loudly. Fortunately, the wind snatched his words away before they could reach the cat girl's ears.

Was he really this lucky? He stared at her for a moment longer, scrambling to collect his thoughts and contain the excited shout threatening to escape. If this was real, if she was what he thought, then that meant he wasn't alone anymore. That girl down there, she would be able to understand the utter insanity that was his life now.

Maybe she could even be his friend…

He put on a burst of speed to catch up with her and dove down so he was closer to her level. As he neared, she bounded up a dormer and leaped off the top, landing on all fours again. A gleeful giggle reached his ears and caused a grin to spread across his face. Oh yeah, no way she was an Akuma. Akumas couldn't be that happy.

The words bubbled past his lips before he could stop them. "Bonsoir, minou!"

The kitty reacted immediately. With a cry that was somewhere between a yelp and a hiss, she jumped a good foot in the air, her momentum carrying her forward. She landed in a crouch on a small chimney and spun around to face him, tail ramrod straight behind her. Her blue eyes were wide and gleaming and she flashed her teeth threateningly.

He groaned internally and about smacked himself. _Well done, Adrien._

Before he could even come up with something to say next, the cat girl relaxed. She glowered at him as he alighted on the rooftop in front of her, folding his wings against his back. "You scared me to death!" she scolded.

"Good thing cats have nine lives," he quipped.

Her glower intensified for a moment then she rolled her eyes. Ladybug laughed mirthfully at her reaction then took a moment to look her up and down. Her eyes were entirely blue, the sclera a shade lighter than the pupils and altogether very catlike. Around them she wore a black mask very much like his own that covered most of her upper face. He couldn't make out the details of her outfit in the dark, only that it was as form-fitting as his own and entirely black. Furthering the cat theme she had going on was the pink collar resting at the base of her neck and he could just barely make out the shape of a small bow in the front. A pair of feline ears sat atop her head and her hair, which she wore in a low ponytail, concealed her human ones (assuming they were there at all). Her tail, which he had seen trailing out behind her as she ran, was now flicking from side to side behind her. She still hadn't left her crouched position so he couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling she was smaller than him. She didn't look particularly strong, but neither did he and he could flip a car.

It was right around then that he realized she was sizing him up, too, and he couldn't tell if she was impressed by what she saw or not.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, uh…you're…I mean, are you like me?"

The cat girl cocked her head to one side. "That depends," she said slowly. "Are you asking if I have a miraculous?"

He nodded and held up his hand to show her his ring. The cat girl eyed it for a moment then smiled widely and pushed her hair away from one of her human ears, revealing a black earing with five faintly glowing pink dots in the shape of a paw print.

Ladybug beamed. Yes, yes, yes, yes! He'd been right! She was the other Tikki had spoken of. He felt like dancing for joy in that moment and he settled, instead, for holding out his hand to her. "I'm Ladybug."

The catgirl smiled and slid off the chimney. Upright, she was a few inches shorter than him. She crossed the distance between them in a few graceful strides and accepted his hand. "Chat Noire."

They shook hands and he was sure he was grinning like a loon but he didn't care. Learning to fly, standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, meeting a cute girl who was also supposed to be his superhero counterpart—this was easily the best night of his life. He wondered if she'd be willing to meet outside their masks as well but knew it was probably too soon to ask something like that. Theirs was a risky business and she really didn't have much reason to trust him yet. He didn't want to scare her off immediately after meeting her.

Chat Noire let go of his hand and pulled her arm to her chest, ears drooping slightly. "I'm sorry," she said and he sobered immediately. "About yesterday, I mean."

Ladybug was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Making you fight alone." Her tail flicked once behind her. "I was there. I was about to transform when you showed up, actually."

His jaw dropped. She'd been there? Had he seen her? What if he'd walked past her without realizing? Tikki hadn't mentioned any other kwami, though, so maybe he hadn't been close to her at all. _There_ was a very relative term, after all. She could've been watching from a nearby building or been part of the few civilians who'd remained outside on the sidelines to watch the action unfold and hadn't been controlled.

"You seemed to know what you were doing, at least more than I did," she went on. "I decided I'd help if you really needed it but I figured I'd probably just get in the way. This is only my second time transforming," she added with a small smile.

He shook his head and waved off her concerns. "Don't worry about it. It's cool. I mean, a little help would've been nice, but I managed. There's always next time. …You will show up next time, right?"

Chat Noire nodded. "Yeah. I was planning on learning the ropes and then introducing myself to you the next time an akuma attacked."

"Aaah, and what if I'd thought you were an akuma and attacked you?" Ladybug asked, folding his arms. He was only partially kidding. After all, his first thought before had been akuma. He might have whacked her with his staff before realizing she was actually on his side.

"Well, it's not like I had any other way to find you." Chat Noire said with a helpless shrug of her shoulders. Then she smirked. "And besides, that would imply you could even get close enough to hurt me. Cats are notoriously hard to catch."

He hummed, sensing the genuineness in her challenge. She wanted to play. "Purr-haps we can test that one day."

The smirk slid off her face and she stared blankly at him for a long moment. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

"Paw-sibly," he drawled.

The cat girl shook her head and turned her back to him. "Nope. Never mind. I quit."

Ladybug roared with laughter, wings fluttering from the force, and much to his delight, the cat girl was smiling over her shoulder. She shook her head at him. "Oh, stop it."

"Paw-don me, minou," he said between laughs. "I just couldn't resist."

" _Mon dieu_."


	2. The Black Cat of Bad Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The young designer was about to knock Plagg's socks off. If he had any socks, that was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by [leasbrunetteambition](leasbrunetteambition.tumblr.com/)

If someone had told Marinette a month ago that she was destined to be chosen by the kwami of bad luck and become a superhero, she would've laughed in their faces and then ran; ran far and fast. Because, really, who in their right mind would pick _her_ , plain-old clumsy Marinette, to be a hero?

Plagg, that's who.

That in itself wasn't very motivational. Plagg was…quite the character. He was spunky, overly dramatic, a bit selfish, sneaky, and apparently had a suave streak when it suited him, but if Marinette had to choose one word to describe the kwami of bad luck it would be 'cheese.' Seriously. The little cat was absolutely obsessed with the stuff and his favorite was _camembert_ , of all things. And he didn't like the cheap stuff, either; oh, no, he liked the prime quality, cream of the crop camembert that was too expensive for Marinette to even consider buying with any regularity. Could've been worse though. If he had requested something like, oh, say, pule instead, she probably would have promptly dropped the kwami off her balcony. If he was going to demand those kinds of luxuries then he could just run along and find himself a wealthy host, thank you very much.

Luckily for her, however, Plagg was also kind, and when Marinette had explained that camembert was a bit too expensive for her, he had patted her on the nose and told her she needn't worry too much. He would be happy with almost any kind of cheese… As long as he got it regularly. Fortunately, being the daughter of bakers, she was in a good position to deliver. She was already working on her pitch to convince her parents to start making more cheese bread.

One thing was for sure: life had definitely gotten more interesting since Plagg turned up with the magical stone that could transform her into Chat Noire. He had given her a basic rundown on how things were going to work, but mostly she was expected to figure things out on her own. Though he _had_ been particularly careful to warn her that the transformation had a way of leaving an imprint on the host even when not in costume. One of the side-effects of having your mind being co-inhabited from time to time and all that. She didn't quite understand what he meant until she nearly pounced on a pigeon that had landed on her balcony and Plagg had idly commented that her form needed some work because she was never going to catch one like that.

Good thing Alya was on vacation with her family because Marinette had no idea how she was going to hide her new feline tendencies from her best friend. She was already struggling to hide them from her parents who still didn't understand where all the milk from the fridge had disappeared to (her and Plagg's stomachs) or why a decoration Sabine had hanging from the ceiling had suddenly 'fallen' after never having so much as wobbled in five years. It certainty wasn't because Marinette, in a moment of what could only be described as _utter insanity_ , had smacked it back and forth a few times.

So not only did she have to start defeating these things called akumas soon, she also had to manage her inner kitty and 'find the lucky bug,' whatever that meant. She'd tried asking Plagg to clarify but he'd responded tiredly that he couldn't remember what the word was in her language and promptly fell asleep thereafter and by morning she had forgotten.

She found out a few days later when she'd witnessed a boy in a black suit with a distinctive ladybug-esque pattern on the back of his torso and arms take down the Piper. Lucky bug. Of course. Marinette felt bad for not helping him. It was her duty, too, after all, but she'd been so caught up trying to not get found out by her parents that she sort of…well… _forgot_ to actually go out and figure out how to be Chat Noire. Plagg certainly hadn't been prompting her, either.

That evening, she had sat with her parents in the living room and watched the news coverage of the attack. She studied the pictures and watched them replay the fight, noting (along with the reporter) the kindness he displayed for his former foe. The adults commented on the bizarreness of the whole thing and then Sabine said how grateful she was that Marinette hadn't been anywhere near there today. Marinette's face burnt hot with shame. _Oh, maman, if you only knew._

Afterwards, both she and Plagg agreed: it was time for her to get her tail in gear. She needed to be ready the next time an akuma attacked. She really wished she could get ahold of the bug boy but Plagg told her that wouldn't be possible until they met. That night was a no-go but the following night, after her parents had gone to bed, she had transformed and set out to roam Paris. The rooftops were safest for her, away from things like pedestrians with cellphones and traffic, and she quickly found herself right at home on the uneven terrain.

Chat Noire could do things Marinette couldn't. She'd noticed her agility had increased in her normal life but she was still unprepared for the full extent of the changes. She was running faster than she ever had in her life, her feet barely skimming the ground. She could jump like never before; twist, twirl, and flip over obstacles with the grace and precision of a cat. Without even meaning to, she'd discovered that loping on all-fours was not only possible, but comfortable and convenient—it gave her a speed boost, too. Even cooler, though, were her senses. Sounds were clearer, scents were sharper, and not only could she see perfectly in the dark, but she could still see in full color, something she knew cats couldn't do.

Then she'd gotten scared to death by a certain winged boy and realized that as Chat, she also reacted like a startled cat.

Apart from his penchant for puns, he seemed alright. She hadn't missed the enthusiasm in his expression and the excited gleam in his eyes as they spoke. He was just as pleased to meet her as she was him. When she'd gotten home, Plagg had whirled around her room with a pleased little smile on his face and was still doing it when she returned with a glass of milk and a plate of cheese for him.

"What's got you so excited? Did you find my stash of catnip?" she teased. She actually had no stash, as such, but she figured the mention of the plant might be enough to get his attention at least. Apparently not.

"Tikki!" he crowed in delight, twirling in circles as he floated over to her.

"Tikki?" Marinette cocked her head to the side as he plucked a piece of cheese from the plate. "What's tikki?"

"Who. Tikki is a who," Plagg explained before sinking his teeth into the cheese.

Tikki wasn't any sort of name Marinette knew so she was quite certain he wasn't referring to the boy who was Ladybug. Which could only mean… "His kwami? You know them?"

Plagg nodded. "Oh yeah. She and I go waaay back," he said around a mouthful of cheese.

"What's she like?" Marinette asked curiously. Were all kwami the same as Plagg or were they as different as people could be?

Plagg thought about it for a moment and took another bite of cheese, chewing slowly. Then he shrugged his tiny shoulders. "She's Tikki."

"Oh, come on. You've got to give me more than that." Marinette sat down in the chair at her desk, setting the plate near her keyboard, and took a sip of milk.

Plagg shrugged again. "I don't know what you want me to say, kid. Tikki's just Tikki."

"What's her personality like?"

He pondered that while taking another two bites of cheese. "I'm bad luck," he said slowly and took another bite. "She's good luck. She's everything I'm not. She's gentle, she's…coddling. 'Nurturing' is the word she'd use. She loves her Ladybugs, for better or worse."

"And do you?" Marinette asked, suddenly feeling very small.

Plagg gave her a long look, his feline face completely unreadable, and then he sighed. "I don't look for the same things that she does in people when I choose them. Some of them aren't exactly _loveable_." He took another bite of cheese and Marinette's heart sank. "But you, Marinette—you're going to be a great Chat. I can tell already."

She tried not to be offended by that because it wasn't actually an insult, but all the same… "What," Marinette said slowly, "do you look for in the people you pick?"

He grinned slyly. "Access to cheese." When Marinette sputtered, the tiny kwami threw back his head and laughed. He tossed the rest of cheese in his mouth and swallowed without chewing. Then he flew up to Marinette's face and gave her a genuine smile. "I look for the people with cats in their souls. My cats are clever, witty, wily, brave. Selfish and selfless—there's a fine balance between the two. I look for resourcefulness. Your unlucky power," he nibbled on a corner of the cheese, "Well, I'm not quite sure what it's going to manifest as for you just yet, but you'll find it requires you to think quickly and creatively." He patted the top of her head as if she were a feline. "We kwami don't choose our humans lightly. You're worthy of your claws."

Marinette was sure her face was beet red by the time he finished and she took a drink of milk to avoid having to saying anything for the moment. Plagg drifted away from her and folded his arms, the ghost of a smile hidden by the last of the camambert. "But I wasn't kidding about the access to cheese thing."

Air rushed out of her nose in a quiet laugh. She picked the plate up from her desk and held it out to him. _You're worthy of your claws._ While she wasn't sure what being chosen by the kwami of bad luck said about her or her character, she knew praise when she heard it.

"By the way, Plagg?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering…my costume. Is it the same thing for each Chat?"

The kwami shook his head. "I change it to suit the times, the place, and the cat. Why?"

"Because I'd like to make a few changes."

"You _what_?"

Plagg was not used to having his chosen complain about their uniform. Apart from minor changes in response to extenuating circumstances in the past, what the cat got is what the cat got. Marinette, however, was a force to be reckoned with, and the kwami was entirely unprepared or equipped to handle such situations. Let it not be said that Plagg didn't put up a fight, because he did; oh, he did, and in true feline fashion. But Marinette was a girl on a mission. Armed with her sketchpad, finest pencils, and an entire disc of camembert, the young designer was about to knock Plagg's socks off. If he had any socks, that was. She should design him some for moments like this.

The next day, she used her phone to get pictures of herself as Chat Noire from almost every angle, then copied down what she saw diligently onto the pages. From there it was just a matter of finding something she liked. She drew dozens of sketches, each of them different from the last. Some were disregarded immediately, some took a little longer before she dismissed them, others she marked for further consideration. Plagg hovered overhead, munching on the morsel he'd received for cooperating, and watched Marinette go to town.

After about an hour of this, the kwami began to give input. _No, no, that's terrible. I'm not making that. Really, kid—you do remember you are la chat noire, right? Oooh, that's good… Pffffffffffff, do you really expect to do fancy maneuvers with_ _ **that**_ _?_

After a particularly scathing remark about a belt design she had (which, in her mind, had been practical, and a good way to secure the yo-yo she would be fighting with) Marinette turned her glare onto the kwami, eyes full of blue fire and a growl deep in her throat. Plagg's whiskers twitched, noting the threat in her body language, and heaved a sigh, his shoulders slumping forward.

Plagg floated down and grabbed hold of her pencil. She let him take it and watched as he flipped it over, carefully erased the belt, and began to draw something in its place. "It's too much baggage," he groused. "Your tail is necessary for balance and it can be quite an effective tool. But it's behind you and you have control over it but that ridiculous addition would restrict your movement. Could even tangle your legs. I cannot— _will_ not let you fight in something that could get you hurt. Or worse. Honestly, what do you take me for—"

Marinette smiled to herself as the kwami continued to rant and draw. It was good to have him on board and to know that he really did care. And, interestingly enough, he seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe one of his previous cats had been an artist?

Plagg set the pencil down and drifted back, arms folded. "There," he announced. "Much better."

The belt, if drawn to scale, would be about an inch and a half wide. It was simple, thick enough for her tail to stem from, and would be sturdy enough to hold the yo-yo. The original costume had a small holster hanging off the side for it to lock into but Marinette didn't like the idea of having to worry about pulling it out of something mid-battle. It would be able to hook securely on the belt with a simple clasp.

Marinette frowned, tongue poking out in concentration as she examined the belt, then erased the tiny bell he'd drawn where a buckle should be. "No bells. I can't be jingling everywhere in battle."

"It wouldn't have to jingle."

"No. Bells."

Plagg sniffed. "You have no sense of style."

Marinette tried to veto the leather next but Plagg immediately dismissed her concerns as it wasn't _really_ leather at all. Her suit was made out of the same substance as Ladybug's; she'd be able to tell if she looked up close, but it was styled to look like leather, a choice the kwami was sticking with. The tail, though, he was willing to work with, when she told him between giggles that she liked the idea of having a soft or fluffy tail. She made a few other minor tweaks—the bulky wrists of her gloves would have to go and if he insisted on making her wear boots then they would be skintight. She was not about to go traipsing around in those thick things when she could get just as good protection without them being prominent. When she mentioned it would make the whole design seem sleeker, like a cat, she managed to win Plagg's support.

In the end, the whole outfit was one big compromise. There were just certain things Plagg refused to do on principle and she certainly didn't get an explanation like she had for the belt. Mostly he just gorged himself on cheese, earning a new piece every time he gave in to something she really wanted.

She sketched out the finished design from all four sides then gave it a flat color with minimal shading to emphasize shapes and sizes. When it was finished, she presented it to Plagg who took a few minutes to memorize it. There was still a quarter of the camembert left and she wouldn't give it to him if he didn't get this right. She'd promised. When the kwami was satisfied he could pull it off, he gave Marinette the go-ahead to transform. Then she stood in front of the mirror to examine herself.

Her hairstyle and length were the only thing that remained entirely unchanged. She liked how it hid her human ears, concealing her miraculous and enhancing the cat aesthetic. Her tail was a bit thicker than it had been before and resembled velvet. Her gloves and boots were skintight, the former tipped with small, razor-sharp claws that could shred paper in a single swipe (she may or may not have gleefully checked) and were strong enough to handle her weight. Her cat ears were a bit smaller and now had pink on the insides, the same shade as the paw prints on her earrings and the collar around her neck. Her yo-yo, which had previously been solid black, now had a pink paw print identical to the one on her earrings stamped onto it. The bow on her collar was smaller, too, part of the collar rather than attached to it, and had three jewels set vertically down the middle.

Her original suit hugged her frame, to the point where she'd been self-conscious. She was already anticipating backlash for running around in a _literal_ catsuit and she didn't want to give the creeps of the world anything to use against her. The new suit still hugged her frame but now it included a small, stretchy skirt beneath her belt, that fell to her mid-thighs and made her feel a little better about the whole thing. To her surprise, it hadn't been difficult at all to win Plagg over—in fact, it had been the thing that had taken the least amount of effort, and when she'd expressed her surprise, the kwami simply informed her that he was used to varying levels of modesty in his cats, and that at least she wasn't wanting a petticoat.

The newly re-designed Chat Noire pranced around her room, jumped from her floor to the loft bed then back down, climbed the ladder, and did a few somersaults, just to get an idea of how the suit felt on her and what it'd be like out there. All together, she was pleased—right up until she heard her mother approaching and she barely had a chance to gasp before Plagg rocketed out of her ring and made a beeline for her loft. The green light had just finished passing over her body when Sabine opened the trap door. Marinette was able to deflect her concerns with a few words and a cute smile and her mother departed with a fond shake of her head.

Marinette and Plagg waited in silence for a solid ten seconds after before her kwami let out a tiny, "Whew," and flew out into the open. "At least you have your own room. I've had cats whose families lived in the same room!"

She winced. That couldn't have been easy on either of them. She wondered how long they'd kept it a secret before someone found out. She was having trouble enough as it was, but to have no privacy like that? She couldn't imagine living normally like that, never mind with a kwami and alter ego.

She and Ladybug had agreed to meet that night on the roof of the Louvre at the highest point across from the entrance to the pyramid. It was very public, yeah, but neither of them was sure they could find the rooftop they'd met on again and anything that wasn't well known might not have been easy for the other to find. The Louvre was close enough for them both to consider it convenient. They could come up with a better place to rendezvous later once they got things figured out.

Thinking about Ladybug sent a strange thrill through her. Not because he was handsome—though he might have been, but he was more 'cute' to her with those round cheeks of his and that long messy hair—but because he was…he was…himself, if that made sense. She'd spent days since Plagg's arrival fretting over the whole thing and struggling to get a hand on those pesky feline tendencies (she could control them, she _knew_ she could, she was just reeling from the unfamiliarity). Last night aside, she hadn't had much chance to really appreciate or even enjoy this new aspect of her life. But now there was someone else who could _understand_.

She didn't know much about ladybugs so she wondered what could've possibly been imprinted on him. Well, other than the wings.

Chat Noire was the first one to arrive at their meeting place just ten minutes shy of midnight according to the face of a clock she could see from her perch. Rather than wait out in plain sight, she slid down the slope of the dome on the opposite side of the pyramid, settling down in the shadows to wait. She kept her eyes trained upwards, fully expecting him to come in from the air and alight on the highest point until he spotted her. To her surprise, just as it was turning midnight, she heard footsteps approaching, audible only due to her heightened hearing.

She turned her head towards the noise and saw Ladybug, in all his red and black glory, walking towards her. She raised her hand in greeting and he jumped a little in surprise, apparently not having noticed her until she moved. Nonetheless, a grin spread across his face. "Bonsoir, minou!"

"Bonsoir, Bug," she greeted in reply. She'd considered calling him 'cocinelle' but she wasn't sure if he would like that or not. 'Bug' was English but it was safely gender neutral and he already seemed to have decided that he wanted to use the English name for the beetle.

"You're early," he noted, slowly slinking toward her. She rolled her eyes.

Chat Noire got to her feet and moved out into the light so he would be able to see her. "I wasn't sure how long it'd take me to get here this way. Not as long as I'd thought, obviously."

But Ladybug didn't seem to be paying attention to her words. He'd stopped just a few feet shy of her and was looking her up and down. "You look…different."

Chat grinned. "Oh, yeah! You like it?" She turned in a slow circle, showing off her new outfit. "I was a bit 'eh' about the last one and I convinced my kwami to change things up. We worked all day on this."

"It looks great!" He agreed enthusiastically then looked down at himself. "I didn't know we could do that…."

"Well, if yours is anything like mine, you better have plenty of bribes. It took an entire thing of camembert, Bug," she said seriously. "The good stuff."

Ladybug laughed. "Wow. She doesn't ask for much."

"She—oh, no. He. Plagg's a 'he'. Oh, I almost forgot, he wanted me to pass on a hello to your kwami. Apparently they know each other."

"Really?" His eyes widened. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we let them say hello face to face?"

"But we'd have to de-transform…"

"Yeah."

"I—I…" Chat stammered, taking a step back. Ladybug noticed her uneasiness immediately.

"Are you not okay with that?"

"No," she said. "I'm not. I'm sorry, but, I don't feel comfortable with showing my—my _civilian_ self, I guess. This is too new and it could be dangerous if we know who each other is behind the masks. I mean, what if something goes wrong? I'm not saying I think you'd betray me, but this Hawkmoth guy, he can control people's minds, can't he? What if—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," he shushed her, disappointed but not angry. "You're right. Maybe they can meet some other time, then."

"Maybe," she agreed quietly. She could see the discontent linger on the boy's face for a few moments longer (but, really, this was for the best), but it was gone in a flash as he effortlessly perked up.

"So, what are we gonna do tonight?" Ladybug asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I'm not sure," Chat admitted with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I was hoping you had an idea."

"Aaah…. We didn't really plan this out, did we?"

"Oops?"

The teenagers giggled at their own folly and Chat Noire flicked her tail in amusement. "What if…we just went for a run?"

"A run." He cocked his head to the side. "You mean topside, right?"

She grinned impishly. "Of course. Or you could always fly, it's up to you."

"Well, I can't just…fly." Ladybug said. He turned, presenting her his back, and she realized the red-tinted wings he'd bore before were absent. "I have to actually bring them out but when I do, it drains a lot of power, so I can't keep them out long before I have to change back."

"Oh!" she gasped, suddenly excited. "So, that's your power? That's so neat!"

He nodded enthusiastically and spun around. "What's yours?" he asked eagerly. "You're supposed to be bad luck, right?"

"The black cat of bad luck, that's me. Except, there's just one tiny little problem." Chat Noire rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't exactly—I haven't tried it out yet."

Ladybug's eyes widened and he pursed his lips. "We gotta find out."

Which was why, fifteen minutes later, the two heroes found themselves in a condemned building in a less friendly part of Paris. If they were going to start messing around with a manifestation of bad luck they needed to not be around people or occupied buildings. Moonlight spilled through a broken window in the ceiling and Chat Noire stood in the middle of it while Ladybug waited a safe five feet away.

Plagg decided to be useful (for once) and whispered instructions in her mind on how to call forth her power for the first time. Energy rushed through her, starting at her earrings and travelling down her shoulders and arms before manifesting in her palms as energy. It rippled and crackled and as she brought her hands together, the power flared out, forming a ball of black, purple-accented energy about the size of a cricket ball. She rotated her hands around the sphere, watching it ebb and swell. When she pulled her hands apart, the sphere remained above her dominant one.

A laugh as dark as the power she held bubbled past her lips and she grinned up at Ladybug. He, too, seemed enraptured by the power she wielded. "This. Is. So. Cool."

"Yeah, but what does it _do_?" Ladybug shifted his weight from foot to foot in anticipation.

 _Oooooh,_ Plagg whispered in her mind. _Interesting. You inflict bad luck._

Chat Noire blinked. What was that supposed to mean? She glanced down at her palm, at the bad luck. "It's bad luck." She held out her hand. "This is actually bad luck, right here."

His eyes widened and he took an automatic step back. "Lucky bug here. Keep that away from me."

Chat Noire looked around the room. _Bad luck in the palm of my hand._ She could pass this on to anything, maybe anyone, and chaos would ensue. She could press it to the floor or the walls or the beams… Part of her found the prospective damage and mayhem alluring. That would be Plagg's influence, she decided, because Marinette certainly didn't consider such things to be particularly entertaining. Nevertheless, the urge was there. Her eyes flicked around the room, noting with interest that some thing seemed to gleam purple like the energy in her hand. All she had to do was…was _touch_ something…

"Minou?"

Chat Noire blinked, shaking her head quickly, and a haze she hadn't even been aware of around her vision cleared. "Oh, wow," she whispered. Ladybug watched her with concern. "I'm…I'm okay…." She spotted an empty wine bottle a few feet behind Ladybug and pointed at it with her empty hand. "Bug, that bottle behind you. Bring it here."

He turned around, searching in the dark, then went to fetch it for her. He tossed it through the air and she caught it with her free hand. "What are you going to do?"

"If I'm right," Chat Noire gave the bad luck one final, long look. "Make this the unluckiest bottle in the world."

Before she could talk herself out of it (such a waste, a _bottle,_ she could do so much more than a bottle), she pressed her hands together. The dark power seeped into the innocuous glass, turning it solid black with a faint purple glow around it.

Chat Noire sucked in a sharp breath. Her arms suddenly felt ten times lighter, an intense pressure within in her chest suddenly dissipating.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug took one step towards her, then another, concern written all over his face.

"That was…"

"You shouldn't hold onto it like that. You looked like…" He trailed off, at a loss on how to describe what he'd seen.

"I know, I felt it." Chat Noire held up the bottle and put her free hand on her hip. "It's gone now—ah, ah, ah! Don't touch it! This thing is so unlucky right now, it'd probably break and hurt you."

"Wait. Hold on. Let me see if I got this right. You made a ball of literal bad luck appear in your hand and then you transferred it all to that bottle, making it unlucky?"

"Pretty much."

"That's… _awesome_." Ladybug grinned darkly. "We are going to kick some serious butt, you and me."

Chat Noire felt her tail lash from side to side at the prospect. "We should meet again tomorrow night, if that's alright with you. We need to learn how to fight. I mean, I know you can fight—those were some pretty good moves with your staff the other day—but I'm still not entirely sure how what I can do is going to fit in with that."

He cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong with tonight?"

For an answer, Chat's earrings let out a warning beep. The first of five before she would de-transform. Ladybug scowled. "Oh. Right."

"We should go now," Chat Noire suggested. "I'd like to not be here when I turn back to normal."

Ladybug tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Do you live very far from here?"

"Um…kind of. Why?"

"What about the Louvre? Do you live far from there? I mean, if I were to get you back to the museum, could you make it home safely from there as yourself?"

Chat Noire nodded. It would take a bit of time on foot. She'd have better luck buying cheese nearby and letting Plagg recharge then going home that way.

"Okay then." Ladybug rolled his shoulders like he was steeling himself for something.

"What are you doing?"

The blonde boy winked at her. "Wings out!" Before she could process what he'd said, he threw his arms out wide and bright light flared behind him, bathing the room in red. Chat let out a tiny 'eep!' of surprise and jumped back, raising her free hand to shield her eyes. The light faded and she lowered her hand then gasped. Wings. His _wings_. They glowed faintly for a moment longer before the lingering light settled into a faint red hue around them.

Then what he'd said finally registered and the awe on her face melted into an unimpressed grimace. "'Wings out'? Seriously?"

"Yeah. I was thinking of 'spots on' as a transformation catchphrase. What do you think?"

"I think you're a dork."

"I'll take it!" Ladybug held out his arms. "And now, mon minou—Air Ladybug flight 1198, charter service from this room to the Louvre, now leaving from Terminal 6."

"Mon dieu," she muttered. "You're not serious."

"Hey, you got a better way to cover five kilometers in five minutes?"

She narrowed her eyes skeptically. "You can fly that fast?"

"Well, look at it this way: a ladybug can fly as fast as a race horse. Now how fast do you think someone my size can go if I floored it?"

Her jaw dropped but then her miraculous gave another warning beep and she realized she didn't have time to be picky about transportation methods. She walked towards him but before she could get close enough for him to pick her up, she remembered what was in her hand.

Right. Bad luck bottle. _Uh…Plagg? What do I do with this?_

Of course her kwami was silent. Chat groaned quietly and decided to just toss it across the room. After all, what harm could a little bottle do…right?

…

Twenty seconds later, the two Miraculous wielders were screaming at the top of their lungs as Ladybug flew them up and out of the building that was suddenly experiencing the worst bad luck it had ever known. Ladybug hovered thirty feet above the roof, both of them gawking down at the building, the second floor of which was quickly being acquainted with the first. Then Chat Noire's earrings beeped for a third time and snapped them both out of it.

"OH MY GOD, CHAT, YOU BROKE A BUILDING!"

"JUST FLY, YOU STUPID BUG!"

Unbeknownst to them, a lone pedestrian had seen the whole thing from across the street, looked at the bottle in his hand, and began to dump the rest of his drink onto the sidewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I encourage you to subscribe to the series as this is only the first story in the 'verse. More will be added but under different titles :) Here ends L'appel du Vide.


	3. A Fortunate Stroke of Bad Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If they did well, they could earn the respect and trust of the people. If they screwed this up, well—they were screwed. No pressure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES YES I KNOW I SAID THERE WERE ONLY 2 CHAPTERS IN THIS BUT I FELT IT IMPORTANT TO TACK ON THEIR FIRST BATTLE TOGETHER. So **this** is officially where I'll be stopping this particular story. But don't worry...plenty more to come.
> 
>  
> 
> Beta'ed by [leasbrunetteambition](leasbrunetteambition.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Dedicated to all my scrubs over at Project ML.
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

It wasn't like the movies or comics. They weren't vigilantes with vendettas or superheroes from far off planets with natural abilities that were extraordinary on Earth. They weren't trained by more experienced mentors or backed up by a team who could swoop in and save the day. They were just two kids; two kids who had to go and take down a corrupted person for the sake of the world. Anything could happen.

 _We are so screwed,_ Ladybug repeated over and over to himself as he raced across the rooftops.

There was an akuma rampaging up and down the Champs-Élysées, one of the most crowded Parisian streets and a major tourist hotspot. Of course that was where the Dynamic Duo of Luck (their title was a work in progress and mostly one-sided) would be making their true grand debut to the world. It couldn't be some neighborhood where only locals hung out, oh _noooo_. It had to be in the freaking heart of Paris during the height of tourist season in the middle of the day.

Let it be on record that he completely blamed Chat Noire's luck for this.

He wasn't sure he was ready for this. What exactly 'this' was had yet to be determined, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in his gut that it was just too soon.

It wasn't like he and Chat had been inactive in the week and a half since meeting. Almost every night saw the two green Miraculous wielders out and about. They ran around, learning how to navigate the complex rooftops, a feat they hoped would soon imprint itself into their muscle memory. They practiced with their respective weapons; he learned that a lot of his fencing skills translated well with his staff, and her yo-yo (she had a _yo-yo_ , dear god, if that wasn't the cutest thing ever) not only had an unbreakable and seemingly endless string, but it was capable of supporting her weight and could pack quite a punch.

A few petty crimes here and there had served as practice runs for the pair of them: in and out, just a few hits, a friendly smile thrown towards the victim, and then disappearing back into the shadows from which they came. All in all, it had created a very impressive image, and rumors were beginning to spread about the strange costumed duo haunting the dark alleys of Paris. Someone had even managed to snap a picture of them on the roof of the Louvre, although from the quality of the picture, that had been pure coincidence.

They'd also established a good meeting place that they both considered close enough to home to conveniently reach but far enough that they didn't feel it would give away their respective neighborhoods—a singularly unimpressive rooftop, distinguishable only by the chimney painted an interesting shade of pink. Ladybug and Chat Noire agreed, if ever they needed to meet, this was where they would come. In the event of an akuma attack, however, they were to go straight there and try to deal with things until the other arrived. Other details would be ironed out over time but they thought the same in that their first akuma fight should begin and end the same way: together. They were going to be a _team,_ and they needed to present themselves as such from the get-go.

(However, Adrien did think the Piper might have made that a little difficult; Ladybug _had_ already been seen acting once without Chat Noire. Not much they can do about it now, though.)

Fortunately, this changed just a few days later when Chat Noire appeared, in broad daylight, at the scene of a bad car accident. Footage from someone's phone showed her ripping doors clean off and shredding seatbelts with her claws. Those who weren't harmed she helped from their vehicles and she had comforted the one victim who couldn't be safely removed from the car before paramedics arrived. The last shot had been of her using her yo-yo to retreat to the safety of the rooftops.

Adrien hadn't known anything had gone down until he saw it on the news that evening. Chat Noire hadn't tried to contact him at all or Tikki would've said something. He didn't once ask her why she hadn't called him just to let him know that she'd been seen publically. Instead, he listened with a smile on his face as she gushed about how amazing it had been to be able to save those people. Being bad luck, she hadn't anticipated doing much saving.

Much like the battle with the Piper, it had been open and public, with only one of them in the spotlight. It had been a good way of establishing them as separate entities capable of acting independently. There was speculation about a link between the two of them, fueled further by the rumors of their nightly escapades, but nothing concrete had been established.

That was about to change.

It had to be the freaking Champs-Élysées. Forget Paris, the whole world was about to learn that the City of Light had superheroes. Actual _superheroes_ who were going to be fighting actual _supervillains_ (and, oh, my god, _this was their life_ ). If they did well, they could earn the respect and trust of the people. If they screwed this up, well—they were screwed. No pressure.

The urge to call on his wings was strong. Not only would he be able to get to the akuma quicker using them, they would undoubtedly make the imminent fight easier. Of course, it would also greatly decrease the amount of time he had to take down the akuma. Chat would absolutely kill him if he ran off and left her to fight the akuma alone.

Ladybug heard something very much like a cellphone ringing and it took him a second to recognize the sound. He reached behind him for his staff and slid it apart to activate the communicator, pressing it to his ear. "Salut, minou!"

" _Save it, Bug._ " Chat Noire sounded out of breath, like she'd been running. " _Where are you?"_

Ladybug grunted as leaped across an alleyway. "About two minutes out, coming in from the south. You?"

" _Maybe a minute,"_ she panted, _"and from the east."_

"Wait somewhere I can see you. Do you know what it is?"

" _Al—I mean, a friend of mine texted me about it. She said it's something to do with glass?"_

"Glass?" Ladybug frowned. This was going to be interesting. What could an akuma be doing with glass?

Turning people into glass figurines, apparently. Not encasing them in glass—that would be too easy. No, the akuma was actually turning them into transparent glass statues with extremely fine details depicting their faces, hair, clothes; anything they were wearing when they had been turned was suddenly glass. There were dozens of them scattered up and down the street. Far too many were frozen in positions that suggested they'd been fleeing or cowering, their faces twisted with fear.

Ladybug's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't like with the Piper's victims. They'd been living, breathing; they just weren't in their right minds. But these people…there was no way they were still alive in there. How could they be? Their bodies were nothing but solid glass. He prayed the Cleansing Light could restore them. What if one of them was _shattered_? Could the Light fix that?

Civilians were still fleeing up the main road. Some had remained in their cars but were just beginning to realize how imperative it was that they evacuate. He could see people peeking out of the storefronts. He spotted a teenager cowering in a tree. A group of people—stupid, foolish, _idiots_ —were out in the open filming it with their phones. He assumed from the cargo shorts and sneakers that they were American tourists but honestly, did they think this was some sort of show? Those people were _dead_ and there was a _supervillain_ on the loose. This wasn't some Marvel movie.

The akuma. Where was it? Following the trail of statues would've been a good idea if there had been one. They littered the area, as if the akuma had been running around and firing at random. But apart from the Americans, he didn't see anyone actually outside around ground zero. Wait…the Americans. They must know what it looked like, they were probably filming the akuma itself right now—

So caught up in his thoughts, he nearly didn't see Chat Noire standing on a building across the street. She waved frantically to him with one hand then pointed at her yo-yo. He looked down at his staff, suddenly realizing they hadn't hung up yet. He lifted it to his ear and she did the same with her yo-yo.

"Minou?"

" _This is awful,"_ she whimpered. Her ears (which he'd come to find out were pink on the inside, like her collar, and so freaking cute) were drooping, and he couldn't quite see her expression clearly but he knew her jaw was trembling. That wouldn't do at all.

"Not to worry, mon minou." He flashed her a broad grin that he knew she'd see. "I'm _paw_ sitive my Light can fix even that."

Chat Noire nodded and he could see the the change come over her even from this distance. Her back straightened, shoulders squaring, and her tail lashed behind her. _"The Glass looks almost exactly like the statues, but it's more opaque and it resembles broken glass, which allows it to move. It can fire glass shards out of its hands."_

Ladybug stepped towards the edge of the roof and looked down. The avenue around the statues was littered in glass shards. "I have a _feline_ we shouldn't get hit by the glass."

" _Ladybug, I swear to—you know what? Never mind. You're right. Getting hit by the glass is what did it."_

"Any idea where the butterfly is?"

" _Not a clue."_

There was a chorus of screams from below. Ladybug's head whipped around.

A glass figure easily six feet tall loomed over the group of Americans. The akuma was vaguely humanoid, but had stark differences, with its long, wiry limbs and sharp claws. The creature lacked hair and seemed to be genderless; he couldn't see its face, but it was just as Chat had described, made of cloudy shattered glass that reflected and refracted light with every movement. One of the tourists appeared to have tried to approach it because there was now a new glass statue down there, its hands outstretched and holding a smartphone. Others seemed to realize exactly how much danger they were in at the display, beginning to flee.

"Let's get cracking, minou!" Ladybug shouted, closing the communicator, then twisted his wrist to extend his staff. Raising it over his head, he began rotating it as fast as he could and jumped. When he neared the ground, he flipped it vertical beneath him, and slid down it like a pole.

He retracted the pole to its normal size then sprinted towards the akuma. "Hey, Sparkles!"

The Glass turned around, drawn by the sound of the young hero's voice. A faint glowing design appeared around its face for a few seconds and when it vanished, the creature let out a chilling scream. But Ladybug was undeterred and he swung his baton back to strike.

From overhead he heard the sound of Chat Noire's yo-yo (a sound which was quickly becoming familiar to him) and somehow knew in that moment what she was planning. Maybe it was from his lucky powers, or maybe because he was getting used to her style, but either way, he knew in that second what he needed to do. He hit the deck.

Seconds later, Chat's body whizzed right through the space he had just occupied with a loud screech ripping its way out of her throat. The Glass didn't even have a chance to react before she slammed right into it. The resulting impact made it sound like she'd shattered it and he saw a huge dent in the akuma's chest from where her feet made contact as it went flying. She swung away from the impact point and her yo-yo released its hold on whatever purchase it had found. Chat flipped through the air, landing gracefully on the balls of her feet, reeling her yo-yo in with a flick of her wrist.

 _Whoa_. He knew she could move, but _damn_. Seeing it in broad daylight for the first time was a new experience. Sadly, there was no time to admire the litheness of his partner. Ladybug pushed himself to his feet and ran.

Chat Noire spun around to see Ladybug charging at the akuma with his staff brandished at his side. Knowing she had a few seconds before he'd need her, she turned her attention to the four tourists who seemed torn between running and gawking at the fight. She decided to help them along; English was not her strong suit but she knew enough to get the point across. "Go!" she yelled at them in their language and hoped they'd understand her through her accent. "Run away!"

They stood there for a moment longer, gawking at her now. Out of patience, Chat lunged forward with a hiss. Her animalistic response seemed to startle them back into themselves and three of them booked it in the opposite direction of the akuma that was getting to its feet. She could hear Ladybug taunting it. She needed to get over there now but one of the Americans, a young woman, remained frozen in place. Chat opened her mouth to say something more but then the young woman darted over to her crystalized friend and placed one of her hands on his arm, then the other. She tugged, and— _oh._ She was trying to drag him.

Chat heard the sound of the glass whizzing through the air, the tiny pieces clinking against each other, followed by Ladybug letting out a loud whoop. She glanced his way in time to see him dance neatly out of the path of the flying glass, baton held behind his back.

"Go," Chat Noire urged her in English. The woman's lips trembled. "You need to go now! You will become glass!"

The woman regarded her for a moment longer, finally nodding and fleeing in the same direction as her companions. Chat Noire raced towards Ladybug.

He was dancing around the Glass, leaping from car to car to the pavement and back again. The Glass had its hand outstretched, firing blast after blast of shards at the lively superhero. "Missed me!" Ladybug laughed after he dodged a blast. "…Missed me again! …Woo! …Can't you swat one measly bug? …Come on, minou, help _meow_ t!"

She'd known Ladybug was playful. If he hadn't taken things very seriously during the last week, it could be attributed to the light-hearted nature of their time together; but this blatantly carefree attitude in the face of very real danger was new. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but one thing was for sure: that Bug was having _fun._ Fun! While fighting a monster that could kill him, no less. He was absolutely insane. He had to be.

Chat Noire flung her yo-yo towards the Glass and it wrapped around its shooting arm. She yanked and successfully pulled its arm away from its intended trajectory. The Glass growled and turned around. Its face had features but they were frozen, like the statues, except for its mouth, which was open wide and displaying a number of sharp incisors. Chat's eyes widened. "Uh oh."

The Glass pulled back, hard, and Chat Noire went flying. She heard Ladybug cry out in alarm. Chat gritted her teeth and flipped her body around mid-air so that her feet slammed right into the Glass's midsection. It stumbled back from the force and she landed on her back, grunting as the air rushed out of her. Ladybug darted in, then, swinging his baton around like a bat at the Glass's head. It was a direct hit and a part of its head actually broke off and went flying. The Glass roared in anger but other than stumbling from the force, it didn't react at all.

It was like a zombie, for cryin' out loud! Damageable but unstoppable unless you hit its weak spot! _…Oh_ , Chat grinned, _Not unstoppable; just un-killable._ They _could_ be stopped. Knock off a zombie's legs and it would try to crawl after you, but it wouldn't make it very far. The akuma was its weak spot, yes, but there were other ways of stopping the Glass.

Chat worked her yo-yo free and reeled it back in, a plan already beginning to form in her mind. Her eyes widened when the Glass took aim at her and she barrel rolled away from the stream of shards.

"Hey! Chihuly!" Ladybug yelled to get its attention as Chat raised her head. The akuma swung its arm around to fire at Ladybug but in that split second, Chat spotted something in its palm. Something solid and blue and the only thing that stood out on the monster.

_The akuma!_

"Bug!" she yelled, springing to her feet. "I think I found it!"

"The akuma?!" He yelled back, dodging another blast. "Where?"

"The palm of its hand—it's blue!"

Ladybug back flipped to avoid another stream and she saw his eyes narrow at the Glass's hand. "I see it!" he yelled just before he landed. "Any ideas, Chat?"

Before she could respond, a loud whirring suddenly drew her attention skyward. Helicopters! She hadn't even heard them coming. And not just any helicopters, either, oh no. _Police Nationale._ There were three of them looming ominously overheard. Ladybug landed beside her a split second later, both of their heads trained upward. As they watched, cables were tossed down, and one by one, uniformed officers began to descend.

"Now what?" she fretted. There was no way the police could stop this akuma; they'd just end up getting themselves turned to glass or, if, heaven forbid, they started shooting, they could break the civilian statues.

Ladybug gritted his teeth. "Now we stop this from turning into a scene out of _Batman Begins_."

"What does that even mean?!" she sputtered. The Glass had noticed its oncoming opponents and it let out a loud scream, tortured and riddled with the sound of a thousand pieces of glass scraping together. It raised its hand and fired at the closest officer, which was only a few feet from the ground. The man howled in fear as he was overwhelmed by shards and in a flash of light he was gone, replaced by a glass statue. Without a strong grip to keep it in place, the statue plummeted.

Chat screamed, covering her mouth with his hands.

The statue shattered into a thousand different pieces.

She screamed again and started forward but Ladybug put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. She looked up at him and saw her own horror mirrored on his face.

"I can save him," he promised but his wavering voice betrayed his conviction. The Glass fired again, this time at the next officer on that line.

Chat Noire tore her gaze away from the akuma and looked up at her partner once more. "It's weak. With enough force, you can break it just like normal glass. If we can break its arm off, it won't be able to fire."

Ladybug's expression hardened and he nodded. "Yeah, but this guy's solid glass all the way through. I was using all of my strength when I knocked part of its head off. It's not as easy as it looks."

"Yes, but, it is possible. And since its arm is its only weapon…wouldn't you say it'd be pretty unlucky if it was suddenly gone?" She grinned slyly, feeling very much like a cat in that moment. Ladybug took a second to get her meaning but then he smirked and twirled his staff.

"Don't worry, mon minou, I'll buy you some time."

"Hey! You two!"

Chat Noire and Ladybug turned around. Overhead, the helicopters were leaving, the remaining officers retreating back up the line, but it seemed one of them had actually made it to the ground. He was running towards them with a truncheon in his hand. Marinette would've cowered, would've taken a step back, put her hands in the air to show him she meant no harm. But Chat Noire's hackles went up and her tail lashed in annoyance. There was no time to deal with him.

"Ladybug, go," Chat hissed but he was already moving.

"Wings out!" There was a flash of light and then the policeman stopped dead in his tracks, staring behind Chat Noire at the boy that was suddenly flying through the air.

Chat's tail lashed once more as she turned. She called on her own unlucky power with the signature word she had come up with: "Jinx!"

Dark power flowed through her and out through her palms, which she pressed together to form the sphere of bad luck. Her eyes danced around, searching for something, _anything_ that would work. She had seconds before the bad luck would start playing with her mind, tempting her to use it in the worst way; she couldn't afford to be seen struggling with her own powers.

Several objects glowed purple for an instant, all of them things she could potentially use. Rubble, tires, discarded belongings. What drew her eye the most, however, was a manhole cover in the middle of the road. With a grin, she darted forward on all-fours, careful to keep the hand cradling the bad luck curled into a fist. She landed on the manhole and opened her hand, allowing the bad luck to seep into the metal.

Leaping back nimbly, she dug her fingers into the holes of the manhole and lifted it up. It should have been far heavier but as Chat she had strength that Marinette could only dream of. She knew she'd be able to throw it like as easily as if it were a notebook. That probably should've scared her.

Ladybug was zipping around over the akuma's head, keeping its attention and blasts focused on him, while diving every few seconds to whack at it with his baton; he never did more than chip its exterior. He was lucky his baton was basically invulnerable because an ordinary weapon would have long since been broken under the force.

Chat Noire narrowed her eyes. Each time Ladybug would dive and then fly back up, the Glass would retaliate by firing glass at him—and each time, its arm was extended and wide open. "Ladybug!" Chat shouted. "Go up!"

He glanced at her, nodding once, then shot into the air. As expected, the Glass raised its arm up high to continue firing. Chat spun around to gain momentum, arms outstretched with the manhole cover held in front of her—and with a loud grunt of exertion, she hurled the metal disc at the akuma. It sailed through faster than she expected and collided with the akumas arm, right in the center of its elbow. It tore through the solid glass like it was nothing and the severed arm clattered to the pavement.

The Glass screamed, a wordless shriek of utter fury that spurned Chat Noire into action. She raced towards it, rebounding off the cars on the way for a speed boost. Ladybug dove, arcing his body so he came in at an angle, and slammed into the akuma's side. Off-balance without one arm, the Glass easily bowled over, leaving the way clear for Chat Noire to dart in and snag the arm.

It was heavy but not much more so than the manhole cover and completely still. Lucky for her, the hand had been open when it had been severed, and she only had to flip the arm over to get a good look at what she suspected to contain the akuma. It was a small sapphire in the shape of an oval embedded into the glass. Crap, crap, _crap!_

Thinking quickly, Chat Noire flipped the arm over, gripping the end in her hands, brought it up over her head, and slammed the hand down against the pavement. Once; twice; thrice; each hit punctuated with a word: "Come…out…you…stupid…akuma!"

On the fifth and final word, the hand shattered, a black butterfly flying free. "Ladybug!" she screamed, watching it flutter away. But her partner was several yards away, facing down their enraged foe. By the time he got after it, the akuma would be well on its way to freedom.

 _Catch it in your yo-yo!_ Plagg urged in her mind. _The top opens if you…_

She didn't waste time questioning his orders as they came. Reaching for the yo-yo hooked to her waist, Chat Noire ran her pointer finger across the smooth surface of it and, to her surprise, light appeared where her finger touched. It slid open, revealing a glowing purple interior. She swung it around like a lasso. "Get back here!" she yelled as she flung her yo-yo forward. To her immense delight, the yo-yo scooped the akuma up like a butterfly net, and the panels closed, trapping the akuma, as it returned to her hand. "Gotchya!"

Ladybug landed in front of her then, grinning broadly, and held out his hands. "If you would please, mon minou."

Chat tapped the top of her yo-yo and it opened wide, revealing the trapped akuma. It tried once again to make a break for it but this time Ladybug was ready. He caught it in his hands and closed his eyes for a few moments. He opened his hands, the corruption swirled around his right palm and an innocent, white butterfly perched on his left. It was strangely cute and Chat Noire realized in that moment that the akuma itself wasn't evil, but rather it had been forced to do evil, much like the Glass.

It lingered for a moment, a warm feeling growing in Chat's stomach, and then fluttered its wings and took to the sky. The two heroes watched it go and Chat gave it a tiny wave.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," she sing-songed and Ladybug laughed. He reached for his baton and opened a small compartment in the top. He fed the corruption into it and closed the lid. Chat stared in fascination.

"My turn," he winked at her. Just like the butterfly, he began flapping his wings and he jumped into the air. He flew up several dozen feet and spread his arms out wide, spinning in tight circles. Bright red light flared around his wings and dispersed into the air. Chat Noire gasped as the light sailed up and down the street. The glass arm disappeared at her feet, leaving behind only the blue oval, now intact, which she picked up. Buildings and vehicles were repaired, the thousands of glass shards scattered across the street disappeared, and the people who had been turned to glass statues were returned to their normal state, disoriented but otherwise unharmed. Chat gasped in relief when she saw the shattered police officers standing in a cluster where they had fallen. The last thing to be undone was the Glass itself. The light engulfed the monster and when it disappeared, a young man was left in its place.

Ladybug slowly descended back to the ground but Chat's gaze was fixed solely on the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground. She'd known that there was an ordinary person beneath the monster but, somehow, she'd been expecting something other than this. Something more. But he was just…normal. Black hair, brown skin, dark eyes wide with confusion, wearing ordinary clothes. There was nothing extraordinary about him, nothing malicious, no indication that he had potentially just murdered dozens of innocents. He was just… _a_ _person._

Her partner shaking her shoulder jolted Chat Noire out of her reverie and she looked up at him, mouth agape. "We did it!" he crowed gleefully. He moved as if to hug her but then caught himself. A frown flashed across his face for a moment but then it was gone and he lifted his fist and held it out invitingly.

Chat Noire grinned and bumped her fist against his.

Around them, the people who'd been hiding had realized it was safe and were emerging from both inside and under cars, behind trees, inside stores, and whatever other shelters they had taken. The former glass statues were coming down from their panicked highs and though they were still confused, the herd mentality of humans was taking over and there was a crowd of people edging towards them. There was awe, shock, curiosity, confusion, fear, and even anger. Phones and cameras were out and recording every movement of the two superheroes.

Ladybug and Chat Noire turned in a slow circle, taking it all in.

"Now what?" he whispered.

"Why are you asking me?" she hissed in reply.

"You're the tactician!"

"Well…"

"What's going on?!" the akuma victim blurted out. Chat Noire winced. They couldn't just leave him.

The crowd was keeping its distance, she noticed, as if in collective agreement that the two costumed figures might not be as harmless as they looked. After all, one of them had just thrown a manhole cover like a toy and the other had been flying.

Chat Noire gripped the sapphire in her hand tightly, slowly approached the man. He looked her up and down warily, shying away as she neared. "Hey," she soothed. "It's okay now." Kneeling down in front of him, she held out the sapphire. "Is this yours?"

He gasped, eyes flicking between her face and the object in her hand, then he carefully leaned forward and took it from her. He sighed, closing his eyes, and pressed it to his lips. "Thank you."

"It wasn't your fault," she told him. "If they don't believe you, we'll make them see, but it wasn't your fault. You were being controlled."

The man's eyes widened. "That voice—that was real?"

Chat Noire nodded. "I'm so sorry." Her miraculous interrupted then, beeping its first warning. She straightened up. "Just remember: no matter what you may see or hear about today, it wasn't you. You didn't do those things."

"What things?"

She pressed her lips together and his eyes flicked to something just behind her, widening in surprise, and she realized her tail was flicking from side to side of its own accord. Without saying anything, she backed away to stand by Ladybug.

"—an evil spirit." Her partner was saying. A glance over her shoulder showed her that the lone officer on the scene had managed to make his way over to them while everyone else hung back. "We've cleansed it of this evil and released the harmless spirit back into the world. He has no memory of what he did while under its influence and cannot be held accountable. Like the Piper, he was used."

"And this is what you do?" the officer asked. "You stop these _akumas_ and you get rid of the cause?"

Ladybug's miraculous let out a beep and the boy cleared his throat quickly. "Pretty much, yeah." He cleared his throat. "We'd be happy to explain things officially some other time. Right now, though, we have to bug out. Chat Noire?" He turned to her and unclipped his baton from where he'd stashed it on his belt.

She nodded and grabbed her yo-yo, throwing it it at the nearest rooftop. They took off at a run. The crowd gasped and screamed, people in their path scattering to both sides. Chat triggered the mechanism that would reel the string in. Beside her, Ladybug planted his staff firmly against the ground and it began to extend. They both jumped at almost exactly the same time and up they went. Ladybug let out a loud whoop and Chat Noire laughed giddily.

They returned their weapons to normal size and took off across the rooftops together. If they were at a point in their relationship where they felt comfortable about discussing such things, both would agree that _this_ , running together on top of the world, was the best part. There was no pressure to learn anything or keep themselves secret; just the wind in their hair, their powers thrumming inside their bodies, and an amazing obstacle course laid out in front of them begging to be conquered. Here, in these moments, they were just two kids having the time of their lives, completely free.

They stopped just over a mile from the Champs-Élysées, each of them down to their third spot, and doubled over to catch their breath for a moment. Then they glanced up, catching the other's eye. Chat Noire giggled, Ladybug giggled, and within seconds they were both laughing out loud like a pair of idiots.

"That was awesome!" Ladybug yelled, punctuating the last word with a jump.

"I know!" Chat squeed. "You were amazing! The way you kept dodging like that—oh, god, you about gave me a heart attack!"

"And you with that Tarzan thing! And how did you catch the akuma? I didn't know you could do that!"

"Me neither!" She bounced up and down. "My kwami told me how!"

Their miraculous beeped again, almost simultaneously, sobering them but not quite killing the glee in the air. Ladybug's grin softened into a warm smile. "Well then, mon minou. Same time, same place tomorrow night?"

Chat Noire nodded. "See you then…my Lady."

"'My Lady?!'" he protested as she walked away.

"If you get to call me 'kitty' then I get to call you 'my lady'. It's only fair, wouldn't you agree, _Ladybug_?" She grinned and threw a wink at him over her shoulder.

His laughter followed her as she jumped over the edge of the building into the alley below. She knew he could easily run to the edge and look over the side to see which way she went but she also knew he wouldn't do that. He would never betray her like that.

Maybe she wasn't all bad luck. After all, she had him.


End file.
